Chapter 693: The Course of Heaven is Constant

Chapter 693: Chapter 693: The Course of Heaven is Constant

’This is what I was waiting for.’

Celestial Light True Monarch acted at once.

Seeing this, Xu Yunfan no longer held back.

With no further obstructions, the two ten-thousand-zhang Dharma Aspects unleashed their power simultaneously!

The Platinum Glazed Sword Light transformed into billions of solidifying anchors that pierced the Aitila Boundary Wall, while chains of Purple Gold Thunderbolt coiled around the realm’s body like giant pythons.

Amidst the ear-piercing sound of the world membrane tearing, the shattered Aitira Realm was forcefully dragged to the edge of the Taihua Spirit Ruins Realm’s domain of Law.

A sea of Profound Yellow Merit Qi descended from the void. Sixty percent of it flowed into Xu Yunfan’s Dharma Aspect, while forty percent converged upon Celestial Light True Monarch.

"How refreshing!"

A look of contentment appeared on Xu Yunfan’s face, and he immediately activated the Breaking Realm Platform.

"Lu Chuan, lead everyone back to the realm."

The illusory image of Xu Yunfan’s Dharma Aspect tapped the Breaking Realm Platform.

The Profound Jade Platform shimmered with light as thirty Void Crossing Boats, carrying several thousand Cultivators, whistled out.

From within the crowd, an inconspicuous clear light enveloped the Taoyi the Celestial Lord of Salvation and Relief Statue and landed silently, instantly connecting with Aitira’s remaining incense-burning network.

It was Zhang Ziyang.

The gaze of Xu Yunfan’s Dharma Aspect swept past, moving on smoothly as if it had seen nothing.

This was not the time or place for a conversation. Besides, Celestial Light True Monarch was watching him like a hawk.

If he revealed any flaw, the currently smiling Celestial Light True Monarch would absolutely not hesitate to swing his sword at him the very next second.

Celestial Light True Monarch was eager to collect the Merit to stabilize the damage to his Sword Domain. He was also concerned about the competition among his disciples within the realm. His platinum Dharma Aspect gave a slight nod to Xu Yunfan.

"Our business here is concluded, Fellow Daoist Divine Sky. We shall meet again."

With a flash of sword light, he vanished into the rift in Aitira in an instant.

Xu Yunfan stood in the Boundary Sea, feeling the immense Merit wash over him. He felt the "Celestial Dao’s Pest" tag on his Attribute Panel fade and his Daoist Cultivation Value continuously leap upwards as heaven and earth were forced to interact under the Merit’s influence.

The vast tides of the Boundary Sea gradually subsided. The massive, shattered silhouette of the Aitila Great Realm was finally and completely devoured and digested by the powerful world membrane of the Taihua Spirit Ruins Realm.

At the moment the Aitila Great Realm was completely swallowed...

The void trembled. A sea of Profound Yellow Merit Qi descended from an unknowable place, coalescing into a tangible waterfall of light. Sixty percent of it poured into Xu Yunfan’s towering Dharma Aspect, which stood atop Divine Sky Peak. The other forty percent converged on the Wansheng Sword Sect, flowing into the Dharma Aspect of Celestial Light True Monarch, which was wreathed in Platinum Sword Light.

A massive amount of Merit suffused his body, cleansing his limbs and bones, and even more so, washing his Divine Soul Origin.

Xu Yunfan could clearly feel his Daoist Cultivation improving at a considerable rate under the nourishment of this pure, immense power, as if a parched riverbed was finally receiving a long-awaited rain.

This generosity from the Taihua Heavenly Dao was his reward for sacrificing the Origin of an entire Great Realm.

In essence, it was a mutually beneficial transaction.

However, the look of contentment only remained on Xu Yunfan’s face for a moment.

A more subtle but ice-cold will, like a gangrene clinging to the bone, still lingered in the depths of his True Spirit.

He could see, or rather, sense, that in the unseen world, on some list woven from the world’s Rules, his name was still present. Although washed by the Profound Yellow Merit Qi to be less glaringly scarlet than when he first attained his Dao, it was still branded there, not completely erased.

It wasn’t that the "Pest" tag had faded completely; it was more like the mark’s color had lightened.

He had been downgraded from "must be eliminated immediately" to "requires high alert."

A faint sense of rejection, like a subtle electric current, still brushed past him from time to time.

It was this world’s deep-rooted alienation toward him, the plunderer.

After becoming a Golden Core, everything had become completely different.

"You feel it too, don’t you? The ’heaven’ of this Taihua Spirit Ruins Realm... heh, it has quite the picky appetite."

A lazy voice, tinged with a hint of playfulness, sounded from beside him.

The graceful figure of True Monarch Dong Ming appeared silently, Profound Evil Qi flowing around her, condensed but not dissipating.

Her beautiful eyes, which seemed capable of piercing one’s heart, fell upon Xu Yunfan, a knowing smile playing on her lips.

Xu Yunfan withdrew his gaze from the void and looked at True Monarch Dong Ming. The illusory image of his Dharma Aspect faded away, leaving only his true self standing tall on the peak.

The Gang Wind whipped at the sleeves of his Purple Gold Daoist Robe, making them flutter loudly.

"Yes. Even if I drag in more Great Realms and contribute more World Origin, it seems to be just a drop in the bucket. The Celestial Dao’s dissatisfaction is deep-rooted."

He spoke slowly, his voice calm yet thoughtful.

"The root of the problem lies in two words: Dao Fruit."

True Monarch Dong Ming’s red lips parted, piercing through the final layer of pretense and confirming the suspicion that had just become clear in Xu Yunfan’s mind.

"Dao Fruit..."

Xu Yunfan repeated in a low voice, a flash of lightning flickering in his eyes before vanishing.

At that moment, all the clues connected.

He finally and completely understood the source of the Celestial Dao’s dissatisfaction with Golden Core True Monarchs.

The Golden Core Realm: one attains a Dao Fruit, transcends the mortal coil, and gains a long lifespan, becoming a supreme existence in this world.

But this was by no means the end.

Further up, there were Nascent Soul Daoist Lords who looked down upon the Boundary Sea.

A Cultivator’s pursuit of the Dao is a step-by-step ascent to the heavens.

To advance from the Early-Stage Golden Core to the Middle Stage, and then to the Late Stage, the peak, and even to glimpse the legendary Nascent Soul Dao Embryo Realm, the Dao Fruit itself was the greatest resource and stepping stone.

What was known as performing a Minor Circulation was to use one’s own Lifebound Dao Fruit as the foundation and core, then find two more Dao Fruits that were compatible with one’s own Dao path and had complementary attributes, such as Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, life and death, or light and darkness.

For compatibility, the Fruit Positions of this world were naturally the best.

Using one’s Daoist Cultivation, one would temper, refine, and completely fuse them.

This would cause the Power of the three Dao Fruits to form an Endless Life, a self-repeating Minor Circulation within the Golden Core, causing a qualitative leap in the Golden Core’s essence.

Afterward, the Grotto Heaven would not fall, and upon reincarnation, one could immediately assume command of their own Fruit Position.

One’s control over Magical Power, Daoist Cultivation, Imagery, and Law would all undergo a qualitative transformation. This was the Mid-Stage Golden Core.

And to reach the Late-Stage Golden Core, one needed to build upon the Minor Circulation by finding two more Dao Fruits with compatible attributes, integrating them into the Celestial Cycle, and expanding the Minor Circulation into a grander, more stable, and higher-level Grand Circulation.

When the Power of five Dao Fruits cycled endlessly, the might of the Golden Core would be as vast as the sea. Only then could one be considered a Late-Stage True Monarch.

The Taihua Spirit Ruins Realm only has 108 Fruit Positions of the Celestial Spirits and Earthly Fiends. How many Golden Cores could that possibly support?

’A Mid-Stage Golden Core True Monarch requires three Dao Fruits, and to enter the Late Stage, one needs five...’

Xu Yunfan recited silently in his mind.

Every single Dao Fruit signified the fall of a Golden Core True Monarch, or the forceful plunder of the supreme authority of Law nurtured by heaven and earth.

To the Celestial Dao of the Taihua Spirit Ruins Realm, this was tantamount to continuous, escalating internal friction and blood loss.

The True Monarchs were powerful; they were the Guardians and pioneers of the realm. But at the same time, they were also the most avaricious parasites.

They attacked Otherworlds and plundered their Origin, keeping the lion’s share for themselves to nourish their own Dao paths and raise their Realms.

Meanwhile, the Celestial Dao could often only get a share of some leftover scraps of World Origin Fragments.

With such a severe imbalance between contribution and reward, how could the Celestial Dao not grow resentful over time and come to see the True Monarchs as pests, branding them as such?

"The way of Heaven is constant. It does not exist for the sage Yao, nor does it perish for the tyrant Jie."

"It needs to maintain its own operation. With too many Golden Cores, all of whom are too ’greedy,’ they have naturally become redundant under its laws of balance—targets to be watched, and even cleansed."